No Longer Friends
by Hisoka1
Summary: 5th year. Ron finally admits his feelings for Hermione, but it's too late. She's now Krum's girlfriend. Their relationship becomes very tense. Eventually they have a massive row... and this time it's really serious. How will that end ? Chap 2 UP !
1. Back to the Burrow

No Longer Friends

Disclaimer : It's all J.K. Rowling's. I own nothing but the plot. 

Summary : Fifth year at Hogwarts. Ron finally admits his feelings for Hermione, but it's too late, as she's become Krum's girlfriend. Their relationship becomes very tense and eventually they have a massive row... and this time it's serious. How will that end ? 

A/N : This is my first fanfic ever... Main character is Ron, but sometimes the story will be written from another character's point of view. Of course, all critics are welcome. Thanks for reviewing ! I'm almost done with chapter two, and it will be posted soon (a few days). Thanks to Meg B. aka Draco's girl for beta-reading ! 

**Part 1 : Back to the Burrow.**

Ron dragged his trunk slowly in his room, dropped his knapsack on the floor, and fell heavily on his bed. He was usually happy to be back home, happy that the exams were finally over, but this year things were different. 

You-Know-Who... no _Voldemort_ was back. Just thinking about Him sent a shiver down Ron's spine. But if He was really back, Ron had better get used to think about Him as Voldemort, and learn to speak his name. 

_"What did Dumbledore say ? 'Fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself. Never be frightened by a mere name.' That may be easy for Dumbledore, but I've heard frightening stories about You-Know-, no..Voldemort since I was born. Stories about Him and Harry."_, thought Ron. 

_Harry._

He was surely feeling miserable by now. Back at the Dursleys'. Ron fought back a sudden surge of anger. Why couldn't Harry come at the Burrow ?! Dumbledore said it would be safer for him. Well, maybe. But then... those Muggles were really horrible to him, and this year Harry certainly didn't need that.   
Anyway, Dumbledore was right, as usual. You-Know- –_Blimey_– Voldemort wouldn't be looking for Harry in a Muggle house. And maybe Harry would be allowed to come at the Burrow later this summer, when Dumbledore would have set proper protective spells around the house. 

_I'll have to ask Dad about this later. He and Mum also think Harry should be allowed to come here._

_Harry._

Ron and Hermione had tried to cheer him up. In vain. He had always been like that, keeping his thoughts for himself. Now, it was even worse... Ron knew his problem. Harry believed it was his fault if Cedric was dead. _'I told him to take the Cup with me.'_ It was impossible for Ron to look Harry in the eyes after he'd said that.   
Yet he was wrong. It was Voldemort's fault. And that damned Wormtail. How could a man sink so low? Ron couldn't understand that. 

_"I shouldn't worry too much about Harry. It's perfectly normal that he's feeling guilty right now. He'll feel better in a few weeks, when he and Hermione come to the Burrow,"_ thought Ron. 

Ron let his thoughts drift towards Hermione. He wasn't sure about how he should feel about her. She was driving him mad at least half the time, but, well, sometimes she was nice. Sometimes. She'd been stunningly beautiful at the Yule Ball. But at that time, Ron couldn't say that to her. She had to come to the Ball with that Krum git. Ron fought back another surge of anger at the thought of Hermione entering the Hall, holding Krum's arm. 

_I'd better not think too much about that. It'll get me in a foul mood._   
_Let's just enjoy my holidays._

*** 

These first three weeks of holidays had been pretty dull, but it was a very welcome change, after the crazy year Ron just had at Hogwarts. 

This morning, the breakfast table was strangely quiet. Ron and his family did not talk very much about Voldemort's return. Mr Weasley, and Ron's eldest brothers, Bill and Charlie, would not want to talk about whatever they were doing for Dumbledore, which Ron found incredibly annoying. It usually came out in that way: "Ron, don't ask. It's better if you don't know." 

They were right, of course, but all the same, it was still annoying. The minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, simply refused to believe that Voldemort – _'I'm getting better at that'_, thought Ron to himself – had returned. And now his father and brothers were conspiring against the ministry... so they had better keep it quiet or it could get them in serious trouble. But then, could you call that conspiring? Voldemort had returned. And somebody had to take action, before things got worse. 

Since the beginning of the month, they were no alarming news in the _Daily Prophet_. Fudge really did a good job shutting the reporters up. Ron knew it was all a facade. As Mr Weasley was working at the Ministry, he had heard rumors about several Dark Mark sightings and Muggle killings from his colleagues in the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. 

"Do you want a toast, dear?" 

"Huh, what?" said Ron sheepishly, interrupted in his thoughts by his mum. 

"A toast. Hello? Somebody there?" asked Mrs Weasley, waving her hand in front of Ron's eyes. "What were you thinking about?" 

"Oh, nothing. Nothing, really." Everybody eyed him suspiciously, but no one made a comment. 

Arthur Weasley came into the kitchen, looking at his watch. "It's time to go. Ready, boys?" he asked to Bill, Charlie and Percy. They nodded and got up from the table. 

"Wait, Dad! Did you ask Dumbledore when Harry is allowed to come here?" asked Ron hastily. 

"Yes, Ron. I've asked him at least twice a week since the beginning of the holidays. He's working on the protective wards. We should get his answer anytime soon." answered Arthur Weasley. "Don't worry too much about Harry, Ron. He's safe at the Dursleys'. And as soon as it is safe for him to come here, he'll be allowed to. And he _will_. Get me?" 

"Yeah, sure." muttered Ron. 

"Well, time to go!" Arthur Weasley, Bill, Charlie and Percy all said goodbye, and with a quick wave from their wands, they all Disapparated. 

"So, Ron, what do you want to do today?", asked Ginny. 

"Oh, I don't know. I think I'll write to Hermione and Harry. I haven't had news from them for weeks." 

"I had news from Hermione a few days ago. She seems OK. She's worried about Voldemort and all, of course." Everybody twitched at the sound of the name, even Ron. It was odd, hearing that name coming out of his little sister's mouth. Yet it was true that she was the only one besides Harry who had encountered Voldemort and lived to tell about it. Ron shook his head. Better not think about those things. "Anyway, she told me she was having a good time.", added Ginny after the tense pause. 

"Er, well, that's great. I'll ask her about it when I write her." said Ron. He ate his breakfast quickly then went into his room. 

*** 

_'So, what now?'_, thought Ron to himself. He'd been lying there on his bed for hours (or at least it had seemed like hours), staring blankly at the ceiling. He didn't feel like doing anything today. 

His thoughts went back to Hermione. He'd always seen her as a mere friend. Well, not exactly. His best friend, after Harry of course. But when he thought back at the Yule Ball... what had he been feeling then? Anger? Definitely. Jealousy? Maybe. But why? He hadn't been able to understand his own feelings back then. After all, Hermione only was one of his best friends. _Was she really?_   
_'I fancy her'_, he admitted to himself. _But that's so weird! She's always been my best friend... well not always. There were times I'd have killed her with pleasure, but... Anyway, you can't wake up one day, and decide that you fancy your best friend. How will I deal with that?_

He was interrupted in his reverie by a soft knock on his door. Ginny entered the room, holding an envelope. Her face was rather pink and she looked truly happy. 

"What?" 

"Good news! Oh, you won't believe it! We just got an owl from Dumbledore and he says he's working on the protective spells and wards and he thinks he'll be done in less than a week so he says it's OK if Harry comes here!! Oh, Ron, that's so great!!", said Ginny extremely quickly. 

"Breathe, Ginny. Just _breathe_." said Ron with a chuckle. He took the envelope from Ginny's hands, and read the letter. 

_Arthur, Molly,_   
_I'm currently working on the protective spells I'd planned to put around your house. So, what we discussed earlier should be all right by next week. I believe the kids will be happy._   
_ Albus Dumbledore_

"Wow, that's a rather vague letter. I reckon that's just in case it was intercepted. Anyway, that's good news! And just in time for Harry's birthday! Wonder if Dumbledore did it on purpose..." he said pensively. "And that means... that we've got less than a _week_ to get him a proper present!!" he added, now looking rather panicked. 

Ginny flushed. "Oh my, his birthday! I totally forgot to think about something!!" 

"OK. Calm down. We still got a week. Lemme think... I reckon he'll be pleased with a book about Quidditch, or anything about Quidditch actually..." 

"Yes, that seems like a good idea." 

"So, what do you think if we joined forces to buy him a good present? I'll ask Mum if we can go to Diagon Alley this week. After all, it's not as if we had loads of work to do..." 

"OK, Ron. I'll try to think of something, though. Maybe I'll find something more original." She paused and eyed Ron mischievously. "So." 

"What?" asked Ron. He didn't like that look in her eyes. 

"Daydreaming about a _special_ person, are we?" she teased. Ron flushed. 

"None of your business. And anyway, what makes you think so?" he muttered with annoyance. 

"_Honestly_, Ron." she said in a very Hermione-like tone. That sure wasn't a coincidence. "I've hit the right spot, hmm? See, you don't talk when we're eating, you've got that blank stare on your face all the day, you blush every time someone says her name, you." "OK, OK, I see your point. First, that doesn't mean anything. Second, as I just said, none of your business. Now, get out!" "Yes sir!" she said, supressing a grin and fleeing out of the room as Ron threatened to throw a cushion at her. 

_Oooh my. If she's noticed, then everybody must have. I've not seen the end of it yet._, Ron thought gloomily. 

"Well, I've got letters to write", he said to himself. He sat at his desk and took out a piece of parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink. He began to write with a smirk on his face.   


_Harry,_   
_I've got good news, but I'd rather talk about it directly with you (I don't think that owl post is safe these times). Be sure to be home on July 31st between 10 and 12 o'clock, right?_   
_These holidays have been pretty dull so far. I've got nothing to do... it's nice at first, but it gets pretty boring after a while. I could be doing my holiday homework, but what's the point? I've still got ages to do it._

_How's life for you? I hope the Muggles treat you right (or as right as possible anyway). I'm sure you'll be allowed to come to the Burrow, eventually. I've been harrassing my parents about it since the beginning of the holidays. 'Safety measures', my arse. I'll write Hermione to ask her to come at the Burrow. See you soon (I hope)._   
_ Ron_

"He'll sure be surprised!" said Ron with a chuckle. Now was the hard part. He had to write a letter to Hermione. 

_Dear Hermione,_   
_How are your holidays? I hope you're not working too much. Mine are okay; I don't really have much to do. Anyway, Dumbledore just wrote, and 'what we've discussed earlier should be alright by next week', just in time for Harry's birthday! You know what I'm talking about (I'm vague on purpose, just in case this letter is intercepted)._

_Would you like to come to the Burrow next week (it'd be best if you came on July 31st morning) and spend the rest of the holidays here? I'd be really pleased if you do._

_ Ron._

He gave a final glance to his letter, and put it in an envelope. He sighed. _Done!_ He looked at his room. Crumpled pieces of parchment were scattered all across the floor. It had taken him one hour to write that letter. That had been particularly difficult: he was afraid to sound either too casual or too friendly. He had finally opted for a normal, yet friendly tone. 

He called his owl, Pig, who began to flutter about the room and to hoot frantically. "Calm down, stupid owl!" Ron yelled. Then he finally managed to catch Pig, tied the letter to its leg, and let him go through his window. "Deliver this to Hermione, quickly!" 

He went into the living room to fetch Errol, the family owl, and sent him to deliver the letter to Harry. He went back to his room, and collapsed onto his bed. His heart was beating fast. _Now, I'll just have to wait a few days_, he thought. 

*** 

Some days later, Ron found himself in an awful mood. This, of course, had to do with the reply he'd just received from Hermione. He pulled the crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket and read it once more; just to be sure it wasn't some bad dream. 

_Dear Ron,_   
_I'm so very sorry but I won't be able to come the Burrow until the last week of August. By the time you'll be reading this, I'll be in Bulgaria, at Viktor Krum's place. I've decided to accept his invitation and to go over there with my parents. Bulgaria seems to be a very interesting country to visit; the local wizarding history is fascinating._

_The holidays have been all right so far. I've used the first week to get a rest, then I decided to get my summer homework done and to study for the O.W.L.s. Next year subjects seems really great, but sometimes I'm afraid I won't have the time to prepare myself for the O.W.L.s. It really gets harder every year._

_Anyway, I think Harry will really like his birthday presents, especially Dumbledore's (you know what I'm talking about). See you,_   
_ Hermione_

This sure wasn't the reply he'd been waiting for. "Damn! How could she go to Bulgaria with that git?!!" exclaimed Ron. He sat at his desk, and wrote a reply hastily. 

_Hermione,_   
_I just can't believe you really did go to Bulgaria. You hardly know the git! Come on, all the family will be there tomorrow. I'd had thought you'd prefer to see us rather than your boyfriend Vicky. I guess I was wrong._   
_ Ron_

Retrospectively, that particular letter had been a bad idea. That had started a letter fight that had spread on weeks. Hermione had not been very pleased with Ron's reaction, and her reply had been pretty harsh. 

_Ronald Weasley,_   
_I told you I'd be at the Burrow on August 24th. And I told Viktor that I'd come to Bulgaria, and so did I. By the way, Bulgaria really is an interesting country, not that you would care, of course._   
_For information, Viktor is NOT my boyfriend. And what I do or do not with my holidays is definitely none of your business. Have I made myself clear?_   
_ Hermione_

Ron's reply to that letter had been quick, and about as nice. 

_See, I got your point. It's nice to see how you value your boyfriend Vicky above people you've known for years. Do what you want I don't care._   
_ Ron_

_The more we talk about it, the less I want to see you. At least right here, Viktor behaves like a gentleman._   
_ Hermione_   
_P.S.- Stop calling him Vicky. That's ridiculous._

At that point, Ron decided it would better just to stop writing Hermione. After all, what was the point? he told himself. 

*** 

Harry and Ginny had witnessed these friendly exchanges with a mix between amusement and concern. Ron wouldn't talk about it very much, but Ginny was being well informed by Hermione herself. Those two had become good friends since last year. Harry was amazed by the changes he'd noticed in Ginny. She was no longer stuttering and blushing and losing her head in Harry's presence, which was a good thing. She seemed more confident in herself, more mature. I'm stupid, thought Harry. _She's just grown up. She's no longer the little-girl-with-a-huge-crush-on-Harry-Potter_. There was definitely more to her than meets the eye. Harry believed that they would become good friends, eventually. 

Ron and Hermione were always fighting, so their latest argument was nothing really neither new nor worrying. But the 'Krum issue' was a sore spot with Ron. Harry often thought at the way his two best friends were behaving towards each other. It was pretty obvious that Ron liked Hermione, but he was just too stubborn to admit it. Hermione seemed to like Ron as well, but she was much harder to tell than Ron. Harry was sometimes afraid that this might affect their friendship. In the bad way. 

Besides this little 'inconvenience', Harry was perfectly fine. Dumbledore had made Harry one of the best birthday presents he could: allowing Harry to come at the Burrow. He was truly happy to be ridded of the Dursleys' for one more year, and he was pretty sure the Dursleys shared the same delight. 

Harry had been pretty surprised by the sudden arrival of Ron and his Dad at Privet Drive –_Ron had it well planned_, thought Harry, with a smile–, and of course, so had been the Dursleys. And that was a serious understatement. It had seemed that they hadn't quite forgotten their last encounter with the Weasleys, judging by the way Uncle Vernon's face turned purple, or the way Dudley had flew in his room with his tail between his legs. Anyway, their feeling of disgust at the sight of the Weasleys had largely been compensated by their delight at the idea of Harry leaving for another year. 

Back at the Burrow, Harry had been welcomed by a row of smiling redheads. The whole Weasley family had been present to welcome him, even Percy. Mrs Weasley had greeted him with a bone-crushing hug. _'Harry, dear, how wonderful to have you back here!'_ she'd said, almost crying with happiness. Harry had found that incredibly embarassing, but he really liked Mrs Weasley. And sometimes it was good to feel the love of a Mum. Everybody had seemed very happy with Harry's arrival, but Harry had noticed then that something had been bothering Ron. 

The birthday cake Mrs. Weasley had cooked for Harry had been absolutely delicious. After the meal, Harry had proceeded with the opening of the gifts. Ron had offered Harry a bright orange Chudley Cannons sweater, and Ginny had offered him a nice frame with an old picture of him, Ron and Hermione, sitting in a sofa in the Gryffindor Common Room. 

Actually, everything was going fine until Harry came upon a particular package wrapped in blue paper. _'Whose gift is it?',_ had asked Harry cheerfully. _'Hermione's'_, had muttered Ron with disgust. _'Oh yeah, where's she, by the way?'_, he had asked casually. He'd seen instantaneously by the look in Ron's eyes that he'd made a mistake. Ginny had kicked him under the table. _'Don't talk about her!'_, she had whispered quickly in Harry's ear, which made him drop the subject quickly. 

That was how Harry had learned about the most recent disagreement between Ron and Hermione. Ron's mood had seemed to get even worse with the days. Harry had suspected that him and Hermione were having a letter fight, and Ginny had confirmed the impression. 

Harry sighed. With time, Ron would come around and tell Hermione how he felt. Harry only hoped that Hermione shared these feelings, or else that would be the end of their friendship. Anyway, these holidays had been pretty good so far. Ron was perfectly friendly as long as he didn't hear the words _Hermione_ or _Bulgaria_, and so on. 

Strangely enough, it seemed that Ron poured his anger in his homework. Harry had never see him working like that during the holidays. Maybe he did it to impress Hermione, after all, Harry thought with amusement. 

All in all, Harry was having a really good time at the Burrow. He was feeling much better by now than at the end of the term, thanks to the support and love of his friends. The guilt that had plagued him was still here, but now it was under control. 

*** 

Ron was feeling nervous. Hermione was supposed to arrive at the Burrow this morning. Ron glanced over at the calendar. August 24th. He had been waiting anxiously for her since breakfeast. The rest of his family -plus Harry-, might have noticed his unease because they didn't really try to talk to him. 

Ron was decided to make peace with Hermione, to apologize for that stupid letter fight. It was difficult to admit, but he had missed her. _Badly_. 

He went into the bathroom and tried to improve his looks. He looked at his reflection, and suddenly felt very stupid. The mirror said softly, "You look great already, dear." 

Ron studied his reflection more attentively. _Yes, maybe_. He had grown a few inches more during this summer. If this kept going on, he would definitely become the tallest man in the family. _Yes, I'm not looking too bad_, he thought without any real satisfaction. All the exercising he'd been doing during the summer was beginning to show up. Anyway, Hermione wasn't the kind of girl to care about one's look, Ron thought, at least if you could judge it by the fact that she went to the Yule Ball with Krum, the ugly git. Ron sniggered. _Yeah, at least I know that in that field, I've nothing to fear from him_, he thought. 

A loud thump coming from the kitchen, followed by an eruption of happy voices warned him of Hermione's arrival. He took a deep breath, gathered up his courage, and went downstairs. 

As he arrived in the living room, he noticed that everybody was already standing around welcoming Hermione. She was hugging Harry when Ron entered the room. He took another deep breath, and said as casually as he could, with a weak smile "Hi, 'Mione. Missed you." 

As she looked at him, her smile faded and the expression on her face-hardened. "Ooh, did you, really?" she said with a highly sarcastic tone. 

Ron was taken aback by the coldness in her voice and in her eyes. She was looking at him like a total stranger. He felt suddenly a wave of anger running through his body, totally overwhelming him. "Yes, I _did_! Obviously that feeling was not shared, so why don't you just go _back_ to your friend Vicky!" he snapped. Without waiting for her to reply, he bursted out of the kitchen, shoving his brother Fred out of his way, and got out of the house, slamming the door shut. Everybody was staring open-mouthed at the place where Ron had been standing just a few seconds ago, except Hermione, who looked hurt. 

Ron wandered for a while, then he went to the lake shore and sat down on the ground, still shaking with anger. What, _what_ had he done this time? Sure, the letters he'd sent weren't particularly nice, but he wouldn't believe that Hermione, of all people, would keep a grudge against him for _that_. _It's been weeks, god dammit!_ He began to stomp frantically the ground with his fists. "Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!!!!" 

"Ron." 

Ron almost jumped with surprise. He turned around and saw that Ginny was standing right behind him. 

"What?", he said with an annoyed tone. "Leave me alone." 

"Ron, why did you act like that?" 

"What do you mean _like that_? Don't tell you didn't notice the way she spoke to me! I'm her best friend, and there she speaks to me like I'm some bloody stranger!" 

"And you don't think there's a good reason for that, do you?", she said accusingly. 

"You know about the letters, don't you?" Ginny nodded. "Yes, I know it's been stupid, but I couldn't stand that she went to Bulgaria with that Krum bastard! And I was trying to make peace back there, for God's sake! I missed her, you know, I really did." 

"Oh, Ron, I know." She sat down next to him, and put her arm around his shoulder. "Listen, I've spoken to her. She admits she may have not been very nice." 

"Does she, really? There's a first for everything, I guess." he said sarcastically. 

"Please, Ron, cut it out. You know these witty remarks of yours really drive everybody mad." 

"What are you talking about?! Hey, that's why people love me!", he said with mock outrage. 

Ginny sighed heavily. "Anyway. I'm sure you two will find a way to work this out. After all, that's just the latest one in a long series of rows, isn't it?" 

"Yes, maybe. But this time, things are different. I _like_ her, you know. As in 'more than in a friendly way'." he said thoughtfully. He looked up, and his face paled as he realized that he had just confessed his feelings to his little sister. "Oh, damn it! Please don't tell anyone, Ginny, please. Fred and George will make my life a living hell if they ever learn about it." he pleaded her. 

She chuckled. "Well, let's say that will be our little secret. Let me tell you how pleased I am that we could have this conversation. It's good to have someone to speak with, isn't it?" He nodded. "Anyway, I think it's obvious enough already." she added with another chuckle. 

"That's what I thought, but I always hoped that it wouldn't be _that_ obvious. Well, Gred and Forge have been really nice, not bringing the subject up in the last few weeks..." 

"Believe me, your mood was bad enough already. They must have noticed that as well." 

"Well, what now? I guess I'll have to gather up my strength and go to speak to Hermione." he said with a sigh. 

"And maybe you won't have to.", said a voice coming from behind. Ron froze. That was Hermione. 

Ron turned around. It was Hermione indeed. "For God's sake, are you people trying to give me a heart attack?", he said in a resigned tone. 

"Sorry." 

"Nevermind." 

"Well, gotta go!" said Ginny, coming up to her feet. She gave Ron a peck on the check. "Love you, Ickle Ronniekins." 

"Love you too, baby Ginny," he said with a chuckle. She crossed her arms and assumed an outraged expression. "Off you go!" added Ron. Ginny stuck her tongue out at him and ran to the Burrow. 

Ron watched her run away, and got up to face Hermione. 

"So, eavesdropping, now, are we?" he asked calmly. 

She took a deep breath to calm down. "Listen, I just overheard your last sentence. Sorry, but I couldn't help it. Anyway, I don't really know what you were talking about." 

"We were talking about you." 

"Oh. I should have known." There was an awkward pause. 

"'Mione, listen, I'm sorry about the letters. It wasn't very nice," he said, without looking her in the eyes. 

"That's okay. And I'm sorry about the way I talked to you..." there was another tense pause. 

"But I still think Krum is an ugly stupid git." he muttered, not too loud. Hermione gave a annoyed sigh. 

"Please, Ron, I _had_ to go. And..." She paused, and bit her lip. Strange. That wasn't a good sign. "Listen, can't we just drop the subject? It makes me feel uncomfortable." 

He snorted. "I'll try, but I don't promise anything." 

"Good enough." 

"Well, I guess that's a truce. Let's go home, shall we?" 

She extended her hand. "Friends?" 

He took her hand, and brushed his lips upon her knuckles. _That boy will never cease to surprise me_, Hermione thought, with utter astonishment. 

"Friends." 

*** 

A/N : That's it ! Next chapter coming soon (a few days I think). Thanks to all the people who reviewed so far.   
Everybody, please give me feedback !   



	2. An unexpected gift

No Longer Friends

Disclaimer : This is all J.K. Rowling's. I own nothing but the plot. 

A/N : Here's the second chapter. Thanks to all the people who reviewed! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, but I had an awful load of work to do at school lately. And that chapter is actually much longer than I thought it would be. Anyway, I hope you'll like it. Please review! Thanks to Meggin B my beta-reader !! 

**Part 2 : An unexpected gift**

The relation between Ron and Hermione had been rather cordial during the next few days. _Maybe too cordial_, Harry sometimes thought. This, of course, wasn't likely to last. He was sure another argument would be coming between those two soon enough. That was just the way they were. 

They had all agreed to spend the afternoon at the lakeshore, near the Burrow. It had taken some time to convince Hermione to leave her studies for a while. She had finally agreed to come at the lakeshore with everybody, but had insisted on bringing an Arithmancy book with her. _She really is a desperate case sometimes_, Harry thought with a smile. 

Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron were currently lying on their towels. Fred and George were swimming just a few feet away. Harry couldn't understand how they could stand the cold water. The weather was still nice these days, but Harry couldn't possibly be convinced to step into that freezing water. Harry was startled as Hermione suddenly closed her book and leaned to speak to Ron. 

"Ron, I've been wondering. I've been here for a few days, and I've never seen you studying so far. I'm assuming you haven't done your summer homework yet?" she said with an inquiring tone. 

"What do you think?" said Ron, turning towards her with a smirk. 

"So, when do you plan to do it? You hardly have enough time! We'll be back to school in a few days, and we also have to go to Diagon Alley to get our school supplies!" she said, looking panicked. 

"I assure you, 'Mione, that's way more than I need", he said absently, flipping the pages of his magazine _Quidditch in England_. His absent tone and coolness were driving Hermione completely mad. 

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, rather amused, but carefully wiped their smiles from their faces when Hermione looked at them. They both knew Ron had already done his homework weeks ago. This would be funny. Fred and George, who could smell the fun from kilometres, were swimming back to the shore to watch the show. 

"How can you care so little about your studies?! This is important!" Hermione shrieked. 

"Sure, as important as usual. And I'm according it as much importance as it needs." He paused and flipped another page from his magazine. "Listen, 'Mione, would you please drop the subject? I'm trying to read, thank you very much." 

"Ron!! You're neglecting your studies!! We shouldn't even be here, we're wasting our time! Ron, get to work now!" she said, snatching his magazine from his hands. "_Now_. You may not like it, but it is my duty as a friend to make you apply to your studies for your own good." Ron was now positively grinning at her, which Hermione found somewhat disturbing. 

"'Mione, calm down. Just shut up and listen to me." Ron said, in a cool tone, still smiling. "You want to drag me to work basically because you're a know-it-all and because you like bossing people around." Hermione's face was flushing but she didn't utter a word. She was looking daggers at Ron. "Hey, don't look at me like that, that's just the way you are. I still like you, don't worry." he added quickly to calm her. "I really don't deny that the 'friendship factor' is to be taken in account. But it comes in second, sorry." 

"What... what..." she stuttered. "It doesn't matter!! You've still got to do your homework, whether you like or not! I don't want to have you begging me to let you copy my homework in a few days!!" 

Ron assumed a false hurt expression. "So, that's why you worry? Well, I can swear that I won't do that. Hey, I still have my self-esteem." he said with mock tragedy. "And I _can_ take care of myself, thank you very much.", he added with a serious tone. 

"I don't..." 

"Listen, Hermione, he's _already_ done his homework.", Ginny interrupted. "I was sick of hearing you two arguing. It was funny at first, though." she added, turning towards Ron. 

Hermione stared at Ron open-mouthed. "What?!! You already did it?!", she yelled. 

Ron nodded with a wide grin across his face. "Weeks ago", added Ginny. Hermione couldn't believe it. She was almost impressed. 

"Hey, I never told you I had not done it yet. You assumed again that I'm a lazy-prat-that-never-pays-attention-to-his-studies, didn't you? I told you, I can take care of myself. I don't need you bossing me around.," he told, with that awful _you-know-I'm-right_ expression on his face. And Hermione knew he was right. But she wouldn't let him have the last word so easily. She was interrupted in her thoughts by a roar of laughter. Apparently Harry, Fred and George couldn't hold it anymore. _Ha, ha_. 

"How could you let me do that scene?!" 

"Well, to show you that you're not always right, first. And actually, it was awfully funny.", he said with a wide grin. "Wasn't it, guys?" he said, turning towards Harry, Fred and George. He was answered by a torrent of laughter. 

_Ooh, that little_... Hermione could feel she was losing her self-control. She stomped the ground and rushed back to the Burrow, positively fuming. 

"Ron, you're such a kid," said Ginny after Hermione had left. Yet she sounded very amused. 

"Sssh, let me memorize that clueless expression on her face when you told her I was done with my homework. That was _priceless_." Ron said with his eyes closed and still a wide grin on his face. 

"Ooh, Ron. That's not how you'll improve your relationship with her, you know." 

"Come on, that was just a joke. She'll calm down in a few hours and realize I was right. She's been bothering me way too much about my homework since I've known her... Hey, being wrong for once can only be good for her." 

"See, I'll go and talk to her." 

"Yeah, good idea. And thanks." 

"Yeah, yeah, sure." She waved her hand at him dismissively, as she walked towards the Burrow. "What would you do without me?", she yelled from the distance. 

*** 

Hermione stormed into the Burrow and ran upstairs to the room she was sharing with Ginny. She collapsed on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She tried to gather her thoughts, which was difficult, because she was really angry after Ron. _That insensitive prat!_ Couldn't he just tell her that he was already done his homework, instead of pulling on that scene? 

Yet she had to admit that he had a point this time. He never actually told her that he hadn't done his homework; Hermione had just assumed it. All the same, Ron was still an idiot. All that speech about her liking to boss people around, what nonsense! '_You're a know-it-all_...' She could have slapped him. She couldn't even figure out why she was so angry after him. 

She tried to think about it from a logical point of view. It was just a joke after all, a joke like the thousand ones Ron had played on her since she'd known him. And this time, he had even been nice. Not even lost his temper. Maybe that was it. She had been taken by surprise by his casual tone. He had managed to hit a sensitive spot without actually fighting with her. 

'_Maybe that's why it hurts so much_.' Hermione thought bitterly. He had voiced out loud his real opinion about her, and his words had felt like a lash. Was she really like that? '_I was only trying to help him!_', she thought angrily. 

Somebody knocked on door. Hermione was very irritated and didn't felt like talking with anybody, especially Ron. "Who is it?", she said. "Ginny." Hermione mentally sighed with relief. At least it wasn't Ron. "Come in, please, she said." After all, it might be nice to have someone to talk to. 

Ginny opened the door. "Hey." 

"You're the only I'd be pleased to see right now." She paused. "Well, not the only one actually...", she said with a faraway look in her eyes. 

"I take it you're not talking about anybody in this house." 

"Well, I was talking about Viktor." she chuckled. 

"Viktor?" 

"Yes, Viktor. Why don't you sit down?" said Hermione, patting the bed gently. "Let's have a 'girlish' talk," she said emphasizing the word girlish with her fingers. Ginny giggled and sat on the bed. 

"We haven't really had the chance to talk since I've arrived here." Hermione added, feeling her mood lightening. 

"Yes, tell me about all your dark secrets, Hermione!", Ginny said in a theatrical manner. "Let's conspire against the bloody male race!" she giggled. 

"Ginny! Watch your language!" exclaimed Hermione. 

"Oops. Sorry." she said with an impish look on her face. "Seriously, it's so very rare to be rid of all those... those _boys_! We should enjoy it while we can." 

"Good." 

"So, what first?" 

"Hmm... you live with Ron, Ginny. Just tell me, how can he be just an insensitive, annoying, stupid prat?" Hermione asked. 

"Oooh. Seems like you're still angry with him." Ginny said mischievously. 

"And why should I not be?" She paused and looked at Ginny. "Wait! You _found_ that funny, didn't you?" she said in outraged tone. Ginny's laughter exploded. 

"Oh, Hermione, you should have seen that look on your face, seriously. Wished I had a camera back there." she laughed. 

Hermione was looking daggers at Ginny. She crossed her arms and pulled a face. "Ginny! You're almost worse than your brother!", she snapped. 

"Come on, 'Mione, where has gone your sense of humour?" 

"Know-it-alls don't need a sense of humour, do they?" Hermione said bitterly. 

Ginny calmed down. "Hermione, don't take it seriously. Ron was only joking." she said. "Hermione, why are you so angry?", she asked, almost sounding worried. "Something's been bothering you." 

Hermione sighed. She stood up and went to the window. She considered the view for a short moment. "Listen, I've been thinking about it just before you came. From a logical point of view. The thing is, Ron voiced his opinion about me out there. His _real_ opinion. He wasn't even angry, or anything. That hurts." 

"If you knew what he really thinks, you'd be really surprised..." Ginny muttered in her breath. 

"_What_?", said Hermione, turning over. 

Ginny affected to choke and coughed. "Erm, nothing." Hermione was looking at her quizzically. "Nevermind." 

Hermione turned back to the window, her arms crossed. "Am I really _that_ annoying? Everybody's been calling me a know-it-all since I arrived at Hogwarts. I thought I got used to it, but coming from certain people, it still hurts." 

Ginny walked towards Hermione and hugged her gently. "You know he didn't really mean it. Coming from him it's almost a compliment." Hermione snorted in disbelief. Ginny broke the hug and put her hands on Hermione's shoulders. 

"You won't like what I'm going to say." She paused. "But you've got to realize that you're not perfect, Hermione. Ron merely underlined one of your faults. That's no big deal, and he likes you the way you are. We all do." 

Hermione thought about it for a short moment, then she smiled and hugged Ginny again. "Thanks, Ginny." She broke the hug and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I don't know why I'm so sensitive when it comes to your brother. He's got a gift for... let's say getting strong emotional reactions from me." 

"Now that's a nice understatement! The prat can get on anyone's nerves!" Ginny laughed. "Let's talk about something else, shall we? Tell me about Bulgaria and about Viktor." 

"About Viktor?" 

"Yes... you've been very evasive when it came to your trip in Bulgaria these last few days. I guess you didn't want to upset Ron. But you can tell me about it." 

"Ah... where to begin?" Hermione said uneasily, biting her lip. 

"Well, you can start with Viktor. Was he nice to you? Judging by the way you talk about him, I bet he was." Ginny giggled. 

"Viktor, well..." 

"Yes, Viktor what?" 

Hermione took a deep breath. "He's now my boyfriend." 

*** 

Ron, Harry and the twins came back from the lake about two hours later. Ron climbed up the stairs quickly to get into his room, but stopped in front of Ginny's door. He leaned against the door, just to hear if Hermione was still angry. Harry came from the stairs. "What are you doing?", he asked. "Sssh!"   
Ron could hear Ginny and Hermione giggling. He sighed in relief and motioned Harry to come and listen. Harry smiled as he heard the giggling coming from the room. 

Ron knocked at the door. The giggling stopped, replaced by nervous murmurs. Ginny told them to enter. Ron stepped inside the room with a wide smile. He bowed deeply. "Aah, the two nicest witches in that part of the country! How was your afternoon, miladies?" he said joyfully. Hermione blushed at the compliment, but she and Ginny were exchanging embarrassed looks. 

Ron eyed them quizzically. "What? Have I something on my nose or what? Or did we interrupt some important secret meeting?" he laughed. Ginny chuckled. 

Hermione seemed very interested by a crack on the floor. Ron assumed a serious expression. "'Mione, are you still angry for what happened earlier? 'Cause if you are, I'm sorry." 

"No, no, that's OK, Ron." 

Ron looked at her, unconvinced, then at Harry, who shrugged. "OK, then we'll leave you to your girly talks. Laters." he said and left the room. 

*** 

On August 31st, Molly Weasley brought the kids to Diagon Alley to get the school supplies. Ron was happy that things were getting better with Hermione, if you excused the little "homework incident", as Ginny had dubbed it. 

Ron chuckled. It was always so easy to irritate Hermione on homework issues. _She's got a temper at least as bad as mine. Which is probably why I like her so much_, thought Ron with a wide grin. 

"What makes you smile?" asked Harry, with a smirk. "No, no, wait. I think I know already", he added. 

"Yeah, sure you do. Actually I was thinking about what you said the other day... about Hermione and I. Or is it me and Hermione? Whatever." Ron mused. 

"What? That you two already look like an old couple?" 

"Yep, that's it. And you know, I think I agree", said Ron pensively. They both burst into laughter. 

"Oooh. You know, life would be most boring if I hadn't someone to bicker with." 

"You've already got Ginny", laughed Harry. "And all your brothers." 

"Yeah, maybe, but that's not the same. With Hermione, it's so much funnier." They both laughed again. 

Ron took a deep breath to calm down. "Well, let's get back to business. We're almost there.", he said, pointing at a shop. 

They had been walking for a while in Diagon Alley. Hermione's birthday was in September and Ron really wanted to get her a nice present, before they got back to Hogwarts. Ginny had told him to take a look inside that particular shop and had volunteered to keep Hermione busy while he and Harry would be looking for a gift. 

Harry read the sign aloud "Olde Jewelry" and they entered the shop. 

It was very dark inside. The window shutters were closed and the only source of light came from candles. As Ron stepped inside the shop, he noticed that the candles were artistically disposed around the shop so that their light would reflect on the jewelry and on the jewelry only. When one entered the shop, all one could see was the shimmering light of the gold and jewels. It was like stepping inside a treasure cavern. 

Ron and Harry were still marvelling at the different jewels and stones when a voice cackled from behind them "What can I do for you, noble sirs?" 

Ron and Harry both jumped and turned around. An old and small goblin was standing there in the shadows, with a smile on his face, if goblins could do such a thing. 

"Er... I'm looking for a necklace." stuttered Ron. 

He had barely uttered the word 'necklace' that the goblin was already in full selling mode. 

In hardly a minute, the goblin had already managed to give them a full inventory of the various, and of course beautiful necklaces he had in store. Gold? Silver? Small? Large? Encrusted with jewels? You ask for it! All the jewels in store of course guaranteed handcrafted by honest hard-working genuine craftsgoblins. No, noble sir, you won't find any better shop in Diagon Alley, what am I telling, in the whole country! I can assure you that! No better place to find a necklace that will please your most beloved damsel, noble sir! 

"Wait, wait!", Ron managed to say. He had fallen down on the ground, and the goblin was almost standing on his chest. 

'_That goblin sure had his selling routine well planned_', thought Harry. He had to bite his lip not to burst into laughter, and sure wished he had a camera. 

"Calm down.", Ron said to the goblin as he tried to get on his feet. "I'm looking for a heart-shaped pendant. A golden pendant. Which can contain a small picture." said Ron. 

The goblin looked silently at Ron for a moment. Ron could almost hear the gears working inside his head. '_He'd better stop thinking, I can begin to smell the odour of something burning_.' thought Ron after a while. He sniggered quietly at that thought. Then suddenly, the goblin went to the back-shop and emerged three minutes later holding multiple pendants. '_Wow, he may be slow at thinking, but he acts quickly_', thought Ron. The goblin spread the pendants on a table. "Here they are, noble sir. ... may I?" 

"You may not.", said Ron, with a suppressed smile. The goblin remained silent. 

He considered the different necklaces for a while, and then picked up a golden, simple heart-shaped pendant. "I think that one will do," said Ron, with a smile. He turned to Harry, who nodded in agreement. "How much is it?" "Ten Galleons it is, sir." Ron choked and coughed. "But may I suggest this one?" said the goblin, picking up a larger and very expensive-looking pendant. 

"No, no, I made up my mind." The goblin looked disappointed, and made a fake smile, which showed many of his pointy teeth. 

"But ten Galleons is too much. Let's say five." Ron added. Now the goblin really looked disappointed. 

"Five?! But, noble sir, I can't afford to sell it at such a price... I have a family to feed, sir." he said with a servile tone. 

"Five." Ron said in a steely tone. 

"Oh, let's say nine, then." the goblin sighed. 

The bargain went on for a while, and at the end Ron managed to get the necklace for seven Galleons and five Sickles. He emerged from the shop looking rather happy. 

"Wow, this little guy sure was tough. Never bargain with goblins, my friend, it's really exhausting." he said to Harry. 

"Yes, I saw that! Anyway you gave him a run for his money." Harry chuckled. 

"It was still expensive, though." Ron sighed, looking at the pendant. "Well, at least, I reckon Hermione will be really pleased with that gift." 

"Yes, I think she will be. Good point for you." Harry said joyfully, elbowing Ron in the ribs. 

"Oh, come on, don't you begin to tease me too!" 

"OK. Now, let's get _my_ gift." 

"What do you want to offer her?" 

"I saw a book earlier at Flourish and Blotts that might interest her." 

"Come on, any book would interest her." Ron laughed. 

"But this one may be really interesting. It's titled _History of Animagi_." 

"Yeah, maybe." 

A little later, Ron and Harry met the twins, Ginny, Hermione and Mrs Weasley in front of Flourish and Blotts. They quickly bought all their schoolbooks. Ginny and Ron distracted Hermione while Harry was buying the book he intended to offer her. 

*** 

Everybody came back from Diagon Alley at the end of the afternoon. Mrs Weasley urged all the kids to prepare their trunks, as they would have to leave early tomorrow, so the whole evening had been spent packing up. 

Ron was in his room, folding his clothes. He opened his trunk, and began to take out all the junk that had been piling up there all summer. He stopped as he reached a soft package at the very bottom of the trunk. A package that he didn't remember having put there. "What the hell?" 

"What?" asked Harry. 

"Nothing, I discovered something in my trunk. It's amazing, how one can make archaeological discoveries inside one's very own room." he mused. 

"Inside your room, it doesn't surprise me much." Harry laughed. 

Ron made an innocent face and began to tear off the paper recovering the package. It was... a dark blue robe. Ron unfolded it completely and a card fell on the ground. He gave the robe to Harry and picked up the card. 

"Hey, that's a dress robe. And pretty nice one! Ron, you've got yourself a secret admirer!", Harry said. 

"Yeah, sure." Ron said sarcastically. He began to read the card aloud. 

_Dear Ickle Ronniekins,_   
_We thought this might be useful. You really looked too awful at last year's Yule Ball and anyway you've already grown out of those robes, you ugly giant. Seriously, given that you've not had much luck with women so far, you don't want to leave anything to chance this year, do you?_   
_ Your older and much wiser brothers,_   
_ Gred and Forge_

"Yeah, sure, much wiser, my arse!" Ron laughed. "Well, I didn't know there would be a ball this year too. But I didn't actually read the letter from Hogwarts. Mum usually takes care of those damn things." 

"But they're sort of right. You do want to look good at the Christmas Ball, do you?" Harry said mischievously. 

" 'Course I do." He took the robes from Harry's hands to take a closer look at it. "Hey, those definitely look good. That's a really nice gift." He paused. "But it must have been really expensive. I wonder where they got the money to pay for those," he said. 

"Maybe they managed to sell Weasley Wizard Wheezes items during the summer." Harry said uneasily. Of course, he knew where the twins had got the money, as he had given them his Triwizard Tournament winning. But he really didn't want Ron to know about it. 

"Yeah, maybe. But I don't know how they managed to keep it from Mum. She would go totally nutters if she knew they were still selling joke items. I'll go and thank them once I'm done with packing up my trunk." 

*** 

The next morning, everybody was rather confused, as Mrs Weasley insisted on everyone checking his trunk at least twice, just to be sure nothing had been forgotten behind. They all travelled to Platform Nine and three-quarters by Floo powder, just in time to board the train. 

They all got quickly their trunks into the train and went to say goodbye to Mrs Weasley. She gave all of them a big hug, except for Harry, who got two hugs, much to his embarrassment. 

"Have a nice term, all of you. And _be careful_, OK? Especially you, Harry, dear." 

They all nodded in agreement. A bell rang loudly, and some smoke began to rise from Hogwarts Express scarlet engine. They boarded the train quickly and waved goodbye to Mrs Weasley, who Disapparated home several seconds later. 

The twins left the party to meet some of the friends. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny found themselves an empty compartment and settled themselves. 

Hermione opened her trunk and slipped on her Hogwarts robes. Ron noticed a silvery shiny thing on her chest and took a closer look. 

"Why, Hermione, you've been made prefect!" Ron exclaimed. 

Hermione nodded with embarrassment. 

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Harry asked. 

"Hmm, that's because the subject never came up, I guess. And I was afraid you two would not like it." 

"Why wouldn't we like it? Life will be much easier for us now that you're a prefect!", Ron said joyfully. 

Hermione glared at him. "Listen carefully: I've been nominated prefect, and I intend to treat everybody the same way. No exceptions for anybody, even for my friends. That's a matter of principle.", she stated in a very serious tone. Harry and Ron looked aghast. 

"Come on, Hermione, you've got to admit that sometimes we _had _to bend rules. It was for the greater good.", Ron said, almost sounding as he believed what he just said. Hermione and Ginny snorted. 

"Yeah, he's right. And I remember that _you_ bended rules several times yourself, didn't you?", Harry added. 

Hermione sighed. "Listen, I know that in the previous years, we sometimes had to bend rules a little. But these were particular situations, OK? I do _not_ want to be used as cover for your midnight strolls, got me? No favouritism." 

"But…" 

"And that's _not_ negotiable." she added, to shut them up. "Let's drop the subject, OK?" 

They both glared at her but knew better than to object. Ron snuggled in his chair and muttered a few words between clenched teeth. Hermione didn't really understand what he said, but she distinctly heard the words "Prefect", "like Percy", and "bigheaded". She looked daggers at him. Ron gulped and turned towards Harry to ask him if he would like to play Exploding Snap. Hermione sighed and got a Muggle novel from her bag. Ginny began to read _Teen Witch_. 

They had travelled like that for about an hour when the door opened suddenly. Draco Malfoy was standing there, wearing his trademark smirk. He stepped inside the compartment and looked at all of them as if they were filthy worms or worse. "I'm surprised all of you didn't flee this year. If I were at your place, I surely would have hidden in the deepest hole I could have found by now. I told you, last year, Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers will soon be endangered species!" he snarled. He noticed the badge on Hermione's chest. "Well, well, Granger, they made you prefect? What a disgrace! They're really not too picky. Bah! After all, given what Gryffindor House has to offer, maybe you just were the least bad choice." 

"Eat dung, Malfoy", Ron spat. He was already standing up and Hermione and Ginny were holding him by his robes. 

"Come on, weasel, you can do better than that. Or maybe not." he said with a sneer. "I guess in your family you're not really taught to use your wits… Poor weasels, they lack brains as well as money. The former explains the latter, I guess." 

He was interrupted as Ron grabbed him suddenly by the collar and pinned him to the wall. "Speaking of brains, not too clever, coming here without your two gorilla bodyguards, don't you think, Malfoy?" Ron hissed, preparing to punch Malfoy. "Ron, don't! He's not worth it!" Hermione shrieked. 

Harry put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Calm down, Ron. Hold him, I've got something to tell him." he said. He leaned to talk to Malfoy. "Listen to me, you _bastard_." he hissed. "Your father _is_ a Death Eater, you know it and we know it. One little thing you should think about before you contemplate following his lead, which I'm pretty sure you do." He made a dramatic pause. "If you ever refuse to execute an order, they'll _kill_ you. If you fail to execute an order, they'll _kill_ you. If Voldemort asks your father to kill you, he'll _kill_ you. And if Voldemort ever feels like it, he'll _kill_ you. That's not too bright a choice for a career, eh? What do you think?" Ron released his grab on Malfoy. "Think about it. And now, get out!" 

Malfoy was pale and tried to regain composure. He readjusted his robe. "Try and scare me, Potter. Malfoys aren't afraid of anything. And Malfoys never fail. You'll see it soon enough." he hissed. He left the compartment quickly before Ron could grab him again. 

"Wow. You sure scared the hell out of that pompous bastard (_Ron!_ exclaimed Hermione). Actually, you almost scared the hell out of me", chuckled Ron. 

"Yes, I thought that would be an effective way to shut him up... And maybe he'll really give it a thought and realize becoming a Death Eater isn't actually a good idea." Ron, Hermione and Ginny snorted in disbelief. "But I don't really count on it, though.", he sniggered. 

*** 

The rest of the journey passed quickly and they soon arrived to Hogwarts. Ron did notice two things when he entered the Great Hall : there were one empty seat at the teachers' table, but it wasn't the usual one. Mad-Eye Moody (the real one) was sitting next to Dumbledore. Apparently, he had been offered the Defence Against the Dark Arts position again. Actually, not _again_, as it wasn't the real Mad-Eye that had taught them last year. This year, the empty seat was Hagrid's. Ron wondered where Hagrid could be. Maybe he still was on a mission for Dumbledore. Whatever it was, they would learn about it soon enough. 

Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny sat at their usual places at the Gryffindor table. Ron noticed that a woman entered the Great Hall from a side door. She had nice long blond hair and wore elegant robes. Ron didn't recognize her at first, then he grinned widely as it hit him: it was Fleur Delacour. She sat at the Care of Magical Creatures teacher's place, and began to chat with Professor Flitwick. 

"What's _she_ doing here?!" exclaimed Hermione, sounding not too pleased with Fleur's presence. 

"Well, looks like Hagrid hasn't come back from you-know-where yet." Harry said flatly. 

"She said she wanted to find a job in England to improve her English. Looks like she did!" Ron said with a smile. "And what's _your_ problem anyway?" Ron asked. "You don't seem to like her very much." 

"Err… no, it's just that I'd rather have Hagrid teaching us, that's all." Hermione muttered. 

Hermione had always been very bad at lying, and this time was no exception. As much as they all loved Hagrid, his Care of Magical Creatures lessons were catastrophic, and they all perfectly knew it. Hagrid had an odd taste for 'interesting creatures', which meant big creatures with huge fangs, claws, or anything. Ron still remembered the burns he got from those damned Blast-Ended Skrewts and he was pretty sure that Hermione remembered them too. He looked at Harry with raised eyebrows and they both snorted in disbelief. 

Hermione had not the time to reply as the giant oak doors opened with a crack. Minerva McGonagall and Argus Filch were standing before a row of frightened first years. They had just arrived from the traditional crossing of the Great Lake. It seemed that Filch would be taking after Hagrid's gamekeeping duties while he would be away. 

"No wonder they look scared. That damned Filch must have tried to drown them all in the lake. Or feed them to the Giant Squid. Or both." Ron muttered. 

*** 

Ron found the Sorting Ceremony rather boring, as he didn't know any of the first years. At the end of the ceremony, Dumbledore stood up and tapped his spoon on his glass to get silence. The noise in the Hall faded quickly. 

"I like to welcome all the students, the old and the new ones. I'd also like to welcome a new teacher : Fleur Delacour, who will take after Care of Magical Creatures." The students clapped their hands loudly to welcome her. 

"Why doesn't he introduce Mad-Eye?" Ron asked. 

"Most students don't know that last year it wasn't the real Mad-Eye who taught us.", Harry answered. "It would create a real panic if the students knew they had been taught by a Death Eater, I guess." 

Dumbledore continued his speech. "Maybe you don't all know it yet, but Lord Voldemort has been back to his full power since the end of June." Some students began to murmur uneasily. "Believe it or not, it is true. I know you haven't heard of it during the summer. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge estimated that it would be... ahh... inappropriate to let the news spread. I, however, think that you all must be prepared for what will come." He took a brief pause. 

"This year, we will put the stress on Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. Also, know that all the Forbidden Forest is as usual, out of bounds for any student. The rest of the Hogwarts grounds will be out of bounds after 8 P.M. There will still be Hogsmeade weekends for third years and up, but you'll have to be supervised by a teacher. To end on a more cheerful tone, know that we will hold a Christmas Ball this year. Last year's Yule Ball has been a success, and we'd like to renew that experience. And now, let the feast begin!" He sat down as food appeared on everyone's plates. 

*** 

At the end of the Sorting Feast, Hermione stood up. "I have to go. Prefect duties." she said with a serious tone. 

"_Prefect duties_", Ron said with a falsetto voice once Hermione had left. "I really hope she won't become like Percy," he muttered. 

Ron's face illuminated suddenly. Harry turned around and saw that Fleur Delacour was standing right behind him. "'Arry, Ron, bonjour!", she said. 

Ron stood up and held his hand. Fleur took Ron's hand as if to shake it, but Ron bent down and brushed his lips on Fleur's hand. "_Bonjour, Mademoiselle Delacour. Enchanté de vous revoir_." he said with a suave voice, totally oblivious to the fact that Hermione was looking daggers at him from the other side of the Great Hall, where she was waiting for first years to gather. Harry gulped. He had a bad feeling about this. 

Fleur giggled. "I'm pleased to see you again too, Ron. I see you 'ave learnt to speak French?" 

"Oh no, that's about all the French I can speak, really." Ron said. 

"'Arry?" Fleur asked hesitantly. Harry turned towards her quickly. "Oh, yes, excuse me. Hello, Fleur." he said hastily. He tried clumsily to imitate Ron's gesture, and kissed Fleur's held hand. "Pleased to see you again." he added. She smiled. "How are you?" 

"I'm fine, thanks." Harry said. 

"'Ow is your bruzzer, Ron?" she asked. 

Ron chuckled at her accent. "Which one?" 

"Oh. Ze tall one, with long 'air. Bill, is zat it?" 

"Yep, that's him. I didn't know you knew him." 

"We exchanged a few words at ze end of ze Triwizard Tournament." 

"Well, he's in London right now. He's fine." 

"Say 'ello to 'im for me when you see 'im, will you?" 

"Sure." 

"Well, I 'ave to go. See in you in Care of Magical Creatures." She turned around and left. Most of the male population in the Hall followed her with the eyes as she left. 

"She seems to have quite an effect on you, eh?" laughed Harry. 

"Oh, I don't know. That's strange, but last year she had something of an aura. I couldn't even manage to utter a correct sentence in front of her. All I could do was gaping like a goldfish." Harry laughed at the image. "I can't explain it, but she doesn't have that effect on me anymore." 

"I bet that's because you've got another person invading your thoughts, isn't it?", Harry teased. 

"Yeah, maybe." Ron said pensively. "She's actually a nice person, Fleur, I mean." 

"Yeah, she looks nice, when you get past that veela thing. Wished Hermione could see it as well. She looked as if she would have strangled you when you greeted Fleur. I saw her glaring at you from the other side of the Hall." 

Ron gulped. "Well, I'll deal about that later." he sighed. "I'm exhausted. Let's get back to Gryffindor Tower. With luck, I'll avoid Hermione and by tomorrow, she'll have forgotten about that." 

"You two really are hopeless." 

"What!? I don't understand why she doesn't like Fleur, anyway. She can't blame me for liking Fleur as a person. Not as a veela." Ron exclaimed. 

"Just as you can't blame her for liking Krum." 

"Oh, come on. That's different. You perfectly know why I hate Krum." 

Harry sighed. "Let's go." 

They both headed for Gryffindor Tower. 

*** 

The next morning, Ron woke up easily. It felt good to be back at Hogwarts. He got off from his bed, and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Harry was already up and was putting his clothes on. They met Hermione in the Common Room, and then they all went to have breakfast. Ron noticed that Hermione was unusually calm. He had been rather pleased to avoid her yesterday, but she was acting as if nothing happened this morning. Maybe she had decided it wasn't worth an argument after all. Ron took a side look at the silver prefect badge pinned on her chest, and wondered if that new position would affect her. Percy had become unbearable once he had been made prefect. Not that he wasn't unbearable already, but… Anyway, Ron hoped that Hermione wouldn't become like Percy. 

They sat at their usual places at the Gryffindor Tables and began to have breakfast. 

"So, what's our first lesson this year?" Ron asked. 

"Well, this year we're lucky: Double Potions!" Harry said sarcastically. 

"Oh. My. God. And to think I was happy to be back at Hogwarts. I'm sure that foul Snape got a surprise in his sleeve just for us!" 

"Look, the owls are coming!" Harry said. 

As usual, the owls dropped numerous presents for the first years. Parents usually sent presents on the first day at Hogwarts for their children, so they wouldn't feel homesick too much. 

Everybody in the Hall gasped when a large group of eagle owls burst from the giant doors of the Hall. They were all carrying different kind of flowers, and began to fly across the Hall, making complex moves. 

People stood up to see who would be the lucky one to receive such a gift. Then, suddenly, a first owl dropped a bright red rose bouquet in Hermione's lap. Then another one came and dropped flowers on the table in front of Hermione, then another, and another again, and another, until Hermione was totally covered with roses, tulips, and other flowers. 

Hermione was just recovering from the surprise when another owl dropped a flower necklace around her neck and finally a last one came and dropped a card in her hands. The whole Hall burst into applauses and cheers. Hermione's face was crimson with embarrassment. Harry gulped and glanced at Ron, whose face was about the same colour as his hair. Harry could feel he was struggling to keep self-control. 

"So, who is it from?" said Ginny, taking the card. 

"Yes, who?" hissed Ron between clenched teeth. 

Hermione didn't hear Ron and snatched the card from Ginny's hands. "Don't be a fool, Ginny, you know who sent those." She torn the envelope, opened the card, and read with a quiet voice. 

_Hermione,_   
_I hope everything is going fine for you. I wanted it to be a welcome back to Hogwarts gift, and also to show you that I miss you. With all my love,_   
_ Viktor_

"Oh, he's so lovely!" Hermione giggled. 

"Who the hell does the bastard think he is?" muttered Ron in his breath. 

Hermione was totally oblivious to Ron's fury, and to about anything that was happening around her, Harry noticed. She was holding the card to her heart with a wide smile. 

Lavender Brown came from behind Hermione and picked up some flowers. "Hermione, honey, you are sooo lucky", she giggled. "I wish Parvati was there to see that !" 

"Where is she?", Ginny asked. 

"I don't know. I think she hasn't come back yet from vacation", Lavender replied. "These flowers are really beautiful. This must have cost him a real fortune," she said, picking up a petal from Hermione's hair. 

"That's OK. I mean, those must have been expensive, but his family is quite wealthy. And you know, he's a Quidditch player after all. I heard those are really well paid." Ron twitched at that remark. 

"Since when have you too been together?" Lavender asked. 

Ron almost jumped from his chair and felt his heart skip a beat when Hermione answered. _They were… together?_

"For almost a month.", Hermione said, blushing. "I'm very pleased with his gift, but _honestly_. I told him I wanted it to be discreet. I don't want people whispering and gossiping as soon as I have my back turned." Lavender look slightly hurt. "No offence, Lavender", she added. 

Harry looked at Ron. All colours had been drained from his face and he looked totally aghast. Hermione was still chatting with Lavender. Ron glanced at her and seemed suddenly very angry. 

Ginny caught Ron's eye. Everything in here screamed "Don't Ron!" She gave him a pleading look, but Ron didn't really care. He opened his mouth to say something then he felt Harry's hand on his shoulder. Ron looked at Harry, who shook his head. 

Ron broke from Harry's grip and stood up suddenly, surprising everybody. Hermione looked at him and Ron shot her a fiery glare. He stormed out of the Hall without a single word.   
  


A.N. : That's all for the moment. Please tell me if you liked it ! The situation will become more complicated in the next chapters, but you'll have to be patient, as I've barely begun to write the next part.   



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